Cherished Melodies
by awizardingstateofmind
Summary: Music!Merlin's new violin is his most precious possession, and it brings all sorts of new adventures to Camelot. Arthur is planning a ball for his enemy, Merlin is teaching a strange boy how to fiddle, and no good story can be complete without a mysterious illness.
1. Chapter 1

**Yay, this is my first entry to FF!**

 **First off I'm just going to say that there is a** ** _severe_** **lack of music!Merlin fics out there. And it's driving me nuts, 'cause they're just so good.**

 **Here is my contribution. :) Though it would be beneficial when reading if you play violin or at least have some knowledge of music, I hope this can be read by non-musical people without much difficulty.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not have the great honor of owning Merlin. :(**

 _Memories/thoughts marked like this_

 **Merlin's POV**

Arthur and I walked into the nobleman's household, leaving the rest of the traveling party outside. We followed the man to a room where he and the king could talk without being heard.

"My liege," the man began, "I mean no disrespect and I'm sure your servant is a very wonderful person, but this is a very _private_ matter, and I would appreciate it if he left the room."

Arthur seemed slightly offended but he didn't let it show, though I, having known him for close to a decade now, could see it very clearly on his face. "I completely trust Mer-"

"Sire," I interrupted, and then turned to the nobleman. "Milord, if it pleases you for me to leave, then I will be waiting just outside."

I turned to leave, but my best friend's voice stopped me. "Merlin, you don't have to."

I walked up to him and whispered in a low voice, "Arthur. No. Clearly this man is more comfortable talking to you if I'm not around. I'm fine with that. I'll just wait in another room, and if you want to you can tell me everything later."

Arthur sighed. "Fine"

I quickly walked out the door and turned into the next room in the corridor, stopping suddenly to wonder what on earth I was going to do. _These meetings sometimes take hours._

I turned around, hoping to find something that would help me pass the time. My eyes landed on a violin lying on a worn piece of cloth on a table in the corner, and memories flashed through my mind.

 _"_ _Mother?"_

 _"_ _Yes?"_

 _"_ _What is it?"_

 _"_ _It's a violin, darling."_

 _"_ _It's very beautiful… what does it do?"_

 _"_ _I'll show you."_

I walked over and lifted it up as gently as if it was a little babe, my eyes darting over its fragile frame and seeing that is was covered with dust. After running my fingers over the strings, I heard that they were quite out of tune, and all of the sudden I had a strong desire to remedy that. _But I shouldn't… it's someone else's._

 _But if they really cared, wouldn't they at least play it once and awhile?_ It hurt me to see such a beautiful instrument just sitting alone in an empty room. It had clearly been played by someone quite often in the past; a few things gave that away. The strings were worn down a little, but not quite enough to have to replace. There was a heavy dusting of rosin in between the bridge and where the fingerboard ended, and the wood had faded where hands must have frequently held it long ago.

I plucked the first string tentatively, and as I adjusted its tuning peg another memory rushed into my head.

 _My mother sat and played a simple melody. It was a crisp and merry little village tune, one that the men would often sing when they were at work. When she finished her song, I applauded, completely in awe._

 _"_ _Mother, dear? Could you teach me how to play too?"_

 _"_ _Why yes, I do think I will."_

Satisfied with the tone of the first string, I moved to the second, and then the third and fourth. When I finished I brushed my fingers over them and smiled. _Perfect._ The sound rang out clearly.

 _The next day I ran out of the house, sobbing. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder._

 _"_ _It's alright, Merlin. You just need to try it again."_

 _"_ _But Mom, I sounded terrible! I'll never sound as good as you; I can't even play one decent note!"_

My original plan was to just tune it and set it back down, but something in me couldn't let go. I searched for the bow and found it next to where the violin had lain. After tightening it, I gently pulled some of the broken strands of horsehair out.

 _"_ _Merlin. Listen to me. Most great violinists' first notes sound exactly like yours just did. Playing an instrument requires time and discipline, and it won't be until you've practiced a very long time when you'll be able to play the melodies I can."_

 _I dried my eyes and lifted my head. "Mother? How long did you have to practice?"_

 _"_ _Many days and nights worth of time, my dear." I thought about it for a minute, and then Mother continued. "Merlin, I'm not going to force you to learn to play, but if you want to try again it would make me very proud."_

Putting the violin up onto my shoulder, I lightly drew the bow across one of the strings and a quiet, tender, wavering note rang out.

 _"_ _Mom? I… I think I'll do it, if you'll help me."_

 _"_ _Of course I'll help you Merlin! Now let's go back inside and try again."_

Pressing my fingers down on the strings, the same tune from long ago sang from the instrument.

 _"_ _Merlin!"_

 _"_ _I'm so sorry Mom, I didn't mean to drop it!"_

 _She took a deep breath. "It's fine, it's just… this violin is very special to me."_

 _"_ _Why, Mother?"_

 _"_ _It was your father's." She wouldn't say any more than that._

With each note, I remembered more and more of the things my mother had taught me long ago.

 _"_ _Listen, Mommy! I did it! I can do it now, see? Just like you told me."_

 _"_ _Yes! But remember, wrist down, back straight- there you go!"_

As I continued to play, I closed my eyes and lost myself in the music. The violin felt so comfortable on my shoulder, even though it had been years since I had last touched mine.

I shivered, remembering what had happened a few years after.

 _"_ _I told you already, we don't have enough to pay the taxes!"_

 _"_ _Well if you can't give me money, I'll just have to find something else." The man strode towards me, now a young man of fourteen. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "You know how to work, boy?"_

 _"_ _No, please! Don't take him." My mother begged._

 _The man flashed her an evil grin and let me go, searching for something else to steal. His eyes landed on the violin lying on the table across the room._

 _"_ _No…" I whispered. The instrument had become one of my only friends over the years. It had been something that was always waiting for me at home after a long and hard day._

I changed the tune to a minor key, and something inside me broke as I remembered that day.

 _He strode out of the house, his rough, dirty, undeserving hands clutching the instrument. My mother cried into my shoulder as I watched him leave._

 _"_ _It was the only thing I had left of your father…" she said._

 _"_ _You have me."_

 _She slowly looked up from my shoulder and smiled weakly. "That I do, Merlin. That I do."_

I don't know how long I stood there; playing with everything I had in my heart. I could have stood there forever, I was so enraptured. But all good things come to an end, and this was no exception.

I was broken out of my reverie by the sound of whimpering across the room, and I opened my eyes to see the nobleman, hunched over and crying. Behind him was a very shocked looking Arthur.

" _Mer_ lin?!"

Immediately I took the violin off my shoulder. I didn't know if I should be embarrassed, afraid, confused…. "I'm sorry milord. That was out of line." I moved to put the violin back, but the man held up a hand.

"Wait. Keep playing."

Now I was _very_ confused, but I obediently lifted the instrument back into position. Before I started playing I snuck a quick glance at Arthur, who was staring open-mouthed at me. Trying to forget the discomfort, I started to play the same song as before. When I finished, the noble smiled sadly.

"My son used to play that song."

 _Used to._ Suddenly I understood. "And oh, no… this was his violin, wasn't it? I'm so extremely sorry! I didn't mean to play it, it just sort of… happened?" I shrugged tentatively.

Arthur briefly rolled his eyes, and then his expression turned back into that of a fish out of water.

"No, please. My son would have wanted someone to play it. It's just been sitting here all these years since he died."

"Thank you for not getting angry then, sir. It's a beautiful instrument." I moved to set it down once more.

"What's your name, boy?"

The question surprised me, but I answered anyways. "Merlin, sir."

"Well then, Merlin. I've been meaning to find some way to put this violin to use. What would you say if I asked you to take care of it for me?"

My pulse quickened with excitement. "I'd say yes, sir! Yes with all my heart."

"Then it is yours."

I grinned. "Really?"

"Really. Only, come play it for me sometime, would you? I miss hearing it."

"Of course. Milord, you have no idea what this means to me! Thank you very, very much."

He smiled at my reaction. "You're very welcome, Merlin. One question though. Who taught you to play?"

"My mother. She taught me when I was younger, but a man took our violin after I'd only had it five years. It had been my fathers."

The man's jaw dropped. "You mean to say that you'd only played for five years? And you haven't touched an instrument since when, exactly?"

"It's been a little over a decade, sir."

"Well, young man, it turns out you are very talented!" He smiled at me and I swore that Arthur could have fainted. "Oh! You won't be able to bring it all the way back to Camelot like that… Here, I'll get you the case."

"Why was it sitting out?"

"I couldn't bear to put it away, I suppose. It holds a special place in my heart." He helped me put the violin in the case and stroked it one last time. "Take care of it, would you?"

"Yes, sir." I said through a grin.

Arthur didn't say a word until we were halfway to Camelot.

"You were pretty good."

That caught me off guard. "Hmm?"

"You sounded pretty good back there. I mean, I don't really know anything about music, but…"

"Thanks."

"Why didn't you ever tell me you used to play?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't think it was real important, I guess."

He snorted. "You held that thing as comfortably as I a sword, yet you didn't think it was important?"

I grinned. "Finally, to have a talent compared to your swordsmanship… I've been waiting a long time for that!" Arthur was about to retort when I continued. "It's music, though. It doesn't save lives, or win battles, or anything really significant like a sword."

He shrugged. "I thought it was beautiful." Chuckling, he continued. "Hey Merlin? Next time we ride into battle you could motivate us with your touching music. I can just see you, standing up high on a rock in the middle of the battlefield, boosting our morale." He made a very sloppy impression of moving a bow across a violin.

I laughed with him. "Nah, I think I'll just stick to playing to empty rooms."

"Merlin? There is no way that is going to happen."

"Fine… I might play for someone once and awhile."

"Deal." He stuck out his hand and I reached over to shake it, but not without sliding painfully off my horse.

"Ow!"

Arthur just rolled his eyes and held my horse's reins as I got back on.

All the way home I had to listen to Arthur's incessant "plans".

"You know, listening to you play is going to be a very pleasurable way to wake up every morning."

"Hey, I distinctly remember saying that I'd play for you 'once and awhile'."

"I am your king, Merlin! I can order you to play for me every morning." He had a very triumphant look on his face.

"Like I've never ignored your orders before."

His face fell, but soon more questions were being asked.

"So… Do you know any holiday songs?"

"Yes."

"What's the hardest song you've ever played?"

"Mom never taught me the names of many of the tunes I know."

"Do you know the names of the holiday songs at least?"

"Yes, most of them. Now please, Arthur-"

"Do you know how to play ' _The Devil Went Down to Georgia_?"

I just rolled my eyes and spurred my horse to go a little faster; resulting in a race that Arthur won. ( _surprise_!)

"Rematch?" he asked, his ego getting bigger by the second.

"Sure. I'll meet you up in your chambers in a half an hour- you'll need to bring _your_ violin- and we'll see who is better."

He frowned. "I meant another _race_ , clotpole."

"Hey! That's my word!"

"Just… go take care of the horses, will you?"

I smiled and grabbed the reins, pulling the horses in the direction of the stables. _Things are about to get a little more interesting around here._

 **Sorry, I never really explained why exactly Arthur was at the nobleman's house… consider it laziness, not a plot hole XD. And with** ** _The Devil Went Down to Georgia,_** **I just couldn't help putting it in there even considering that the song wasn't written yet. I can't help but wonder if I'm the only violinist who's been asked whether they can play it or not multiple times... Please be kind in your reviews-I'm only thirteen- but I'd love some constructive criticism!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so here's chapter two! Sorry I took so long... I was originally just planning for this to be a one-shot, but then then came the plot bunnies... ;) This chapter is really short, but I take ages when writing and I didn't want to keep you waiting for too long. I've only just finished it, and it** ** _is_** **edited, but only by me and only twice... please point out any errors so I may correct them.**

 **I don't own Merlin.**

 **Enjoy!**

For the first time in nearly a decade I woke up with a violin on the table next to me. A wave of nostalgia trickled into my heart. _I wish Mother was here…_

I shook my head, trying not to think about such sad things. I would talk to Arthur about when I could go and visit her later.

I stared at my newly gained fiddle with pride. It was a beautiful instrument, truly. It had a rosewood frame, with the tailpiece, chinrest, and tuning pegs made of ebony. The wood was chipped and dented in places; the nobleman- Lord Randolf, as I soon learned- had told me that it was nearly as old as I was.

I adjusted my place on the bed, lying on my stomach with my arms crossed under my head. It had been far too long since I could just sit and stare at my instrument.

" _Merlin_?" The door swung open. "Merlin… what are you doing?" Arthur was looking at me strangely, as if it wasn't completely normal for one to lie on their stomachs and gaze at a violin.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, I need you up in the throne room."

I nodded, not once looking up at him.

"And bring your viola!" He strolled out of the room.

"It's called a violin! And why do I need to bring it?"

The prince hollered back, "For once, Merlin, just do as you're told!"

I rolled my eyes and grinned, mumbling something about Arthur never remembering to shut the door when he leaves. I rose from my bed, throwing on a fresh shirt and trousers and scrambling to find yesterday's neckerchief. Then, after grabbing my "viola", I was off.

Arthur was standing at the Council table, talking with three other men.

"Ah, Merlin. You're here." He dismissed two of the men, and the other walked to the back of the room to wait.

I smiled. "You really think I'd be late?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Well I didn't put it past you. Anyways, I need your help."

Walking up to the table, I leaned over on it, looking at the papers which were splayed across the surface.

"Meal plans… guest lists… decoration ideas? You're planning a ball."

He nodded. "Very observative. A ball requires music, which I unfortunately know nothing about."

"Which is why you need me," I said.

"Yes. All I need is a few songs for the dances. I don't care what you play. I'm taking a gamble and choosing to trust you, Merlin. Don't let me down." The prince looked at me, mentally scolding me for all the mistakes that I haven't even made yet.

Resisting the urge to mock-salute, I bobbed my head. "Yes Sire. Can I go?"

"Not yet." He motioned for a man behind him to step forward.

The man stared long and hard at me, and then turned to Arthur. "This is the musician?"

"Yes. This is Merlin. Merlin, this is Lord Weston. He has been-"

Here Lord Weston interrupted. "I have been searching for a suitable man to tutor my son in the musical arts; more specifically, the violin." He studied my face critically, and then turned to Arthur. "My Liege, with all due respect, this man is a mere peasant. I will be on my way to find a more proper educator."

Arthur grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. "Wait. I thought you'd say that, which is why I told Merlin to bring his instrument. Merlin, show him what you can do."

There was an awkward pause as I contemplated whether I should bring my fiddle to my shoulder or run in embarrassment. I looked to Arthur, who gave me a _look_.

 _Okay, okay, I'm going._

Instead of playing a fiddle tune, this time I played a classical minuet, hoping that it would please Weston. I kept it short, playing only the more impressive parts.

When I finished, Arthur shook his head as if trying to wake up from some fantastical dream before turning back to the Lord.

"Do you still see him as an insufficient teacher?"

Weston thought a minute, and then sniffed. "I suppose I will give him a try. I will bring my son to you tomorrow morning. Consider this a trial lesson." And with that, he wobbled out of the throne room.

"Arthur, you can't just _offer_ my services to anyone as if you were me!"

Arthur looked confused. "Why not?"

I shrugged sarcastically. "Well, I don't know… Maybe Merlin doesn't _want_ to tutor some bratty nobleman's son!"

"Merlin, you've never met the boy! He may not be as bratty as you think."

I raised an eyebrow. "Have you _seen_ his father? The child is destined to be unbearable." _And I don't use the word 'destined' lightly._

The prince sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry for signing you up for this. But you can't deny that some extra cash would be useful."

Laughing humorlessly, I replied, "Oh, so now I'm getting paid for the lessons?"

"Only if the first one goes well."

"And let's not forget that the reason I'm short on money is because you've conveniently 'forgotten' to pay me this week _and_ last."

"I'm running a bit low on money right now, Merlin."

I scoffed. "Says the Prince to the Peasant. Besides, how are you going to convince me that you're so poor when you just told me ten minutes ago that you're planning a ball?"

"Merlin, the ball is to try and form an alliance between Camelot and Essetir, which would be very beneficial to the kingdom."

"You're really inviting King Lot to Camelot? You two may very well start a full-out war over some trivial disagreement during your conversation at dinner."

"I know. But if there's one thing I don't like, Merlin, its powerful people who don't like _me_. And right now, that includes Lot."

 _Arthur is crazy._ "So you think that inviting him over will remedy that?"

He clapped his hands together. "I don't know, but it will surely prove to be interesting. Now Merlin, I'm going to go and plan a ball, and I'd suggest that you go get busy preparing a violin lesson."

 **So, how was it? Hopefully not too rotten. :) I have nothing written from this point on, so it may be another week before I post again. Any ideas concerning plots and characters would be very much appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Sorry, short chapter again. :( I'll try to make next one a bit longer. Also, I just realized that I've been addressing Arthur as "The prince" when Uther is decidedly dead and Arthur has very much assumed the throne. Oops. Henceforth he shall be known as Arthur, "The King".** **J**

That night I worked for a few hours preparing something to teach Lord Weston's son, the potential Prince Prat #2. We'd start by learning the parts of the violin, and then (if nothing was broken by that point) start on the musical alphabet.

Mentally preparing myself was probably unnecessary considering I've had plenty of experience with spoiled nobles, yet as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep I did it anyways.

 _Don't let him know you're annoyed or he'll keep going. Stay focused on the lesson. Try not to ask questions; rather, ask him to point things out. That way there are fewer opportunities for him to speak. Treat him like you'd treat an adult- he'll like that._

Finally I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a twelve year old Arthur, mercilessly banging my gorgeous violin against the table.

.

When I woke up the next morning, something was wrong.

 _Ugh, why is it so bright out? And why do I feel so… tired?_

Forcing myself to rise from my bed, I got dressed and grabbed my violin. All of the sudden I felt as if someone had punched me, but I ignored it. I was going to have a very busy day, and I didn't have any time to waste on sleep or assuagement.

Strolling through the physician's chambers, I thought about Gaius. He'd be home tomorrow morning, and then I could show him my instrument.

I almost ran into the king as I was walking out the door.

"Hey, Arthur, I was just wondering where I'm doing the lesson."

"I thought you were just going to do it here, but if you need more space…" he shrugged.

I looked around. "Well, it will work for today I guess. But when Gaius is back I doubt that he'll want his patients being forced to listen to screeching violins as they lay in pain."

"Point taken. Well, I'll find you some back room if this lesson goes well. Lord Weston and Vincent will be here in an hour."

"Vincent's his name, huh? I'm prepared."

Arthur nodded in approval. "Hey, and Merlin? You're looking a bit pale, there…. Are you alright?"

I nodded, and then broke into a cough. "Yeah, I'm doing just fine."

He looked at me for a minute skeptically, and then spoke. "Okay…. When Gaius gets back have him take a look at you, okay?"

Nodding I turned away to make myself breakfast.

.

Precisely one hour later, Weston was standing in front of me with his hands on the shoulders of a boy about fourteen years old who was holding a violin case. His hair was raven colored like mine and green eyes. His lips formed a slight smirk as his father talked.

"Vincent, this is Mervin. He is a servant who I've decided to let teach you today. If you don't like it, we can find someone else. Is that clear?"

Vincent nodded.

Here he looked at me sternly. "Mervin, if I hear that you've treated him improperly in _any_ way, let me guarantee it will not go well for you."

I nodded respectively, though I was slightly tempted to stomp out of the room.

"Good. Now, I'll be back in an hour and a half." He walked out of the room.

I boggled. _An hour and a half? I'm not sure I have enough to work on in that amount of time!_

Vincent had casually walked over to Gaius's worktable and was opening up his case. He grabbed the violin by its side and practically tore the bow off its perch.

"Be careful with that!" I shouted, running over to the boy and taking the violin from him. "When you hold a violin, you hold it by its neck- or at least until you're more advanced. I don't want you dropping it on your first day." I demonstrated.

Vincent rolled his eyes and took it from me, not bothering to change the way he held it. He brought the violin up to his shoulder and put the loose bow upon the strings in about the worst posture imaginable.

"What are we playing first?" he asked in a bored voice.

I chuckled. _So much confidence in his abilities and such an air of unconditional superiority. Just like Arthur._ "We actually aren't playing anything today."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do in a lesson?"

"Well, yes, but not in the first one. Today we're going to learn the parts of the violin, start memorizing the musical alphabet, and perhaps practice how to actually hold it correctly." I took the instrument from him again, and Vincent crossed his arms contemptuously.

I sat on the bench and motioned for Vincent to sit next to me. He drug his feet as he walked over, sitting two feet away. I led him through all the different part names, having him point them out to me sometimes to see that he remembered. He was a very fast learner, albeit unwilling and disrespectful. From there we went on to the musical alphabet.

"So when we write, the alphabet starts with 'A' and ends with 'Z', correct?"

He snorted. "How would you know? You're a peasant; you can't read."

 _Deep breaths, Merlin. We're halfway through._ "I happen to be able to read and write very fluently, thank you. Now, the musical alphabet is different than the writing alphabet. It goes like this, 'C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C'."

"Seriously? That makes no sense. Why don't you just start with 'A' and go straight through 'G'?"

"Because it just doesn't work that way. I want you to memorize that- 'C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C'." I must admit that while I _wrote it down_ on a piece of paper and stuck it in his case I felt a little smug.

Vincent shrugged. "Why? I won't be coming back again anyways."

Sighing, I willed myself not to smack the kid. "That's up to your father. Now do you think you can remember everything I've told you so far or should we go back and review?"

He rolled his eyes again. "I remember. Continue." He waved his hand in an uninterested manner.

I stood up and he did too. "It's time for your favorite part- the correct posture while holding the violin. I don't want you to grab the bow yet. Just bring the violin up to your shoulder… yes, now wrist down. I want you to put your legs like this… Great! You're a natural." I smiled. "Your back's nice and straight, too- learn that in training?"

"Yeah," he said gruffly.

I nodded. _That good stance will come in handy._

"Can I grab the bow now?" he asked.

I was about to show him how to tighten the horsehair on the bow when Lord Weston walked in. Vincent immediately put down the violin and started to put it away. I quickly scribbled down a little assignment sheet just in case he actually came back and wanted to learn more.

"So, Vincent, how did it go?" Weston asked.

He shrugged. "Okay."

"Mervin, I'll send a servant to notify you on whether or not Vincent will be returning for a second lesson. I trust that he didn't cause you any trouble?"

"No, Milord, he was wonderful."

Vincent scowled, and out the door they went.

As soon as they were out of sight, I sat down on the bench again, wheezing slightly. I had managed to keep my weariness hidden throughout the lesson, but now it seems I couldn't hold it in any longer. Plodding into my bedroom, I dropped onto the bed and fell instantly asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Guys! Me again... :) I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Archer: Thanks! :D Your comment really made me happy.**

 **Chapter 4**

"Merlin!"

 _Gaius! He's home!_ I tried to pry my eyes open, but the lights were too bright. I groaned.

"Gai-u…?" I managed to open my eyes. Looking outside I guessed it was about noonday.

The door flung open, and he stood in the doorway looking at me with a smile.

"Merlin, my boy…" he frowned. "What's wrong with you?"

I swung my legs over the bed and stood up in the effort to reassure him. Walking towards him I stumbled slightly. "I'm fine!"

Enter the Eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. You and Arthur; all worried about me all of the sudden… I just had a bad morning, it happens to people." I grinned. "Now I have something to show you."

I led him over to where my beautiful violin sat on the chair.

"Merlin! Is that… but how!" He turned to me and enveloped me in a hug. "Play it for me, boy. I've always wanted to hear the music behind your mothers boasting."

I reached over to it, but just as my fingers touched the wooden surface, I felt the same punch from in the morning. It was harder this time.

"Are you alright?" Gaius asked.

"Yeah," I wheezed. "Just fine."

Throwing on a quick healing spell, I grabbed the violin and focused on ignoring the pain. As I started to play, though, it was easy to ignore. Music practically _was_ healing as far as I was concerned.

As soon as I was finished with my song I set the fiddle down. Gaius grinned at me.

"That was wonderful! Does Arthur know?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, he was a bit dumbstruck. I'll tell you the whole thing later. Right now I think Arthur will want me to start doing my chores."

"Wait. You should probably eat lunch first," he pointed out.

I told him our whole adventure over lunch, from going to Lord Randolf's all the way to Vincent's lesson.

When I finished my tale Gaius stood and started cleaning. After a few minutes he spoke to me. "You know what? Vincent sounds a bit like Arthur."

I snorted. "Tell me about it. The same cocky attitude and self-righteous way of doing things."

"Good thing Arthur has changed," he said.

"Yeah. I'd hate to have a king like Vincent!"

Gaius finished with the dishes and walked over to me, sitting on the bench again. "Merlin, do you remember what made Arthur change?"

I shrugged. "He grew up, I guess."

"No, Merlin. He changed because he found a friend. A friend who he could trust; a friend who didn't treat him like everyone else did. He found a friend who freely made jokes around him; who dared to refuse him time and time again and instead expected him to act responsibly. Merlin, you changed him. You helped him grow into the king he is today."

"And I suppose you expect me to be a friend to Vincent."

He smiled. "Exactly."

.

A messenger came at 4 o'clock saying that Vincent would be present for another lesson the day after tomorrow. I was surprised, considering how discontent he seemed at the first lesson.

I was also a bit shocked that Weston wanted to do lessons this often… I was thinking we'd have one a week. I sighed. _I guess I'll get to see my new favorite student a little more often than I thought._

As soon as I finished dinner I rushed to the kitchens, picking up food for Arthur and Gwen and bringing it to their chambers.

I stood behind the couple with wine pitcher at ready. It was only after I almost fell asleep and nearly tipped over Gwen's full goblet Arthur told me that my services were no longer necessary.

I went to my room and collapsed on the bed. _Why do I feel so tired?_ Somewhere inside I knew that it couldn't be a coincidence that I felt worse every time I touched the violin, but I refused to believe it. Music is healing, right?

Tears came to my eyes at the thought of having to give up my instrument and, overall, one of my last connections to my father, but before those tears could go anywhere I fell fast asleep.

.

I awoke with a start as my bedroom door slammed. Looking up I saw Vincent, panting heavily and sitting against the door as someone pounded behind it. His eyes were squeezed shut and he sobbed heavily. I didn't know why until I looked down to his hands, which he had clenched in front of him like one would while in the stocks.

They glowed.

Golden beams of light wrapped themselves around his fists, swirling and twisting beautifully. The man behind the door pounded harder, and Vincent pressed his hands against the door behind him, trying to keep him out. The door opened a half inch and he sobbed harder. The door flung open and Vincent sprawled across the floor, chest heaving as he opened his eyes and looked at the man, who was advancing rapidly.

Focusing on the man's chest, Vincent's eyes went silver for a split second and his pursuer flew across the room, landing in an unconscious heap on the floor. He looked at the man for a moment, seeming relieved. But the reassurance didn't last long. Soon he sat up, slowly bringing his knees to his chest and continued crying.

I sat up in my bed, glad he was facing away and didn't know I was watching. My heart pounded in my chest, and I forced myself not to breathe too loudly.

I'd seen that look in someone else's eyes before.

Scared.

Frustrated.

Passionate.

 _Powerful._

So many emotions tumbled around in my head; I wanted to laugh, cry, and scream at the same time.

My own eyes had held that same look, long ago, before Gaius had tutored me in controlling my powers.

As I quietly stood and walked over to the weeping figure, only one thought held my attention.

 _He's a warlock. He's just like me._

 **My first cliffhanger! So exciting. :D**

 **So in case you haven't noticed, I'm updating every Thursday. Chapters are short, I know... I'm a really slow writer. :/ Sorry.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Here's chapter five. I hope I'm not pacing it too fast... I'm going to try and slow down a bit. :)**

 **Reminder: Memories are in italics.**

 **Chapter 5**

 _He's a warlock. He's just like me._

.

At this point I had quite the number of options concerning what to do next. I could straight up say, "Vincent, I saw you have magic. Guess what? I do too! We can be best buddies!" I could clear my throat and hope he heard me and had had his fill of throwing people across the room today. I could go back to bed and hope he didn't see me; try and forget that I even saw anything.

But something about the hopeless look in his eyes told me that he needed genuine, friendly, open-hearted help. So I didn't do any of the above options.

I walked over to the fourteen year old boy and put my hand on his shoulder.

Vincent's back went rigid and he wiped his eyes. He spoke in a low, trembling voice. "Whoever you are, I will not hesitate to hurt you." I thought it was an empty threat; throwing the man across the room had already taken its toll on his conscience.

"I have no intention of turning you in."

He stood up, shrugging off my hand. He recognized my voice. "Merlin."

I nodded.

He looked confused. "Why… why aren't you going to turn me in?" I started to answer, but he interrupted. "No, this must be some cruel joke. You're the king's manservant! You've got to turn me in. B-but I can't let you!" He spun around. "Sorry, Merlin."

He reached his hand out towards me and hurled a ball of pure silver light towards me.

I had already decided what to do. He had to know that there were more people like him. He needed the comforting knowledge that he wasn't alone- something I hadn't had until just now. Muttering a shielding spell, I was immediately surrounded by a golden hemisphere of my own magic.

A wave of power spread through the room on the spells' impact, knocking us both down to the floor.

There we sat for what felt like eternity. He stared at me, face pale, completely aware of what I had done.

I stood, and he followed suit. Vincent slowly walked up to me, finally daring to show a bit of emotion.

I could see it in his bloodshot eyes.

He was _happy_.

Confused, yes. Angry a bit, and there was fear well justified. But he was overall happy.

He looked at me straight in the eyes. "Y-you were born with magic too?"

I nodded. And then something amazing happened.

Vincent, the boy who I had only met the day before and had just now tried to blast me into a wall, closed the gap between us and met me in a hug. I felt tears find their way onto my shoulder. Happy tears.

When we broke the embrace, he was grinning. I just smiled back.

"Let's go out and talk."

He nodded, and we went and sat at the table in the physician's chambers.

Vincent sat across from me, still smiling, so drastically different from the boy from yesterday. "How many?"

"How many what?"

"How many people are there like us?"

I sighed. "We're the only ones, I think. Until I saw you I thought I was completely alone."

"Oh." His smile faltered a bit. "I'm sorry. I know how that feels."

"Hey, at least I have friends. You -if you don't mind me saying this- don't seem like that's been happening as easily."

He shrugged. "Yeah. My powers are just so out of control that I was afraid if I let someone in, they'd find out and tell the King."

Memories came flooding back.

 _"_ _Hi! My name is Will. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come play with me?"_

"I understand. I did the same thing."

Vincent frowned. "Really? But you seem like such a… _friendly_ person!"

 _I kept my head down. "Uh, sorry but no. I'm busy right now."_

 _"…_ _.okay, I guess. What's your name?"_

 _"_ _Merlin."_

"I am now, but I wasn't when I was a kid. I guess somewhere deep down I feel like being extra happy and friendly nowadays will make up for being rude and distant when I was little."

"Oh." He picked at the wooden table. "Can I ask you something else?" I told him he could. "Why were you so patient with me at the lesson yesterday? I was a jerk."

I chuckled. "Because if I didn't treat you well I'm pretty sure your father would've had me burned, magic or no magic!"

He laughed with me. "Yeah, he probably would've. Is that the only reason?"

I looked back at my time with him at the lesson. "I guess subconsciously I recognized something; something that Gaius reminded me of later. Do you have _any idea_ how much you're like Arthur?"

Vincent's eyes boggled. "Arthur? The _king_?!"

Chuckling again, I nodded. "The very same. You know, the first couple times I met him I ended up with pretty much a sore arm, wounded pride, a mace scar, and a trip to the dungeon? And guess what- now we're the best of friends. The look in your eyes reminded me of him. The very same sense that you had to be perfect; keep up your act completely or else you'll lose so much. "

Vincent nodded solemnly.

"Arthur… Arthur was a complete prat for the first few years that I knew him. The one thing he needed, though, was a friend who saw him who he was, without the act. Around me, Arthur lost the façade. We got to the point in our relationship where we could joke with each other comfortably. I can now freely insult my King- jokingly, of course- without having to face potential prison.

"The thing about your situation, though, is that finding someone who will just listen is a lot harder. You can't just find some happy person on the street to tell all your problems- those very problems could get you killed. I was lucky enough to have a loving mother who would listen to me without interruption and who I could trust without a second thought. Then I found a friend named Will."

 _"_ _Hey, Merlin, right? It's me again, Will. So, are you busy today?"_

 _"_ _Look, I'm sure you're a wonderful person, but I really just want to be alone, okay?"_

 _"_ _Um, okay. Merlin? If you ever need a friend, I'm here."_

"Will was the happy kid with open arms that would listen to me ramble about my horrible life using vague metaphors as to not actually tell him about my magic. He would listen to me babble and not ask any questions, just hug me when I needed a hug and play with me when I needed a friend.

"Will eventually found out, but that's beside the point. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I think you and I both are about due for a friend."

Vincent smiled. "Yeah, I think so too."

"Why don't you ask your dad if you we can expand your violin lessons to an hour. Then I could help you learn to control your magic for half the time without anyone knowing." I smirked. "Then you won't have any more excuses for not making friends."

"I'd like that a lot," said Vincent.

Suddenly we heard a moan from my bedroom.

Vincent panicked. "It's that guy I threw into the wall! He had seen me trying to light a candle."

"You go on and get back to your father, Vincent. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."

He smiled. "Thanks. And by the way, I've just decided- my friends are going to call me Vince."

"Alright then, Vince." We quickly hugged goodbye and I hurried into the bedroom, using magic to make the poor man go unconscious once more.

As I dragged him outside and slipped an old brandy bottle I'd borrowed from Gwaine ("for storage") into the crook of his arm, I smiled.

 _I'm not alone anymore._

 **Let me know how I'm doing! Hey, and if anyone has any advice for NaNoWriMo, I'm participating in the Young Writers Program and am off to a painfully slow start. :/**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I'm a bit late, guys! I was kinda busy… To make up for it, here's a longer chapter.**

 **Chapter 6**

 **.**

I walked to Arthur's chambers. Or rather, skipped there. This was what I'd dreamed of my whole life; for there to be someone out there like me.

And now that dream had come true.

As I flew through the door and started to turn down the covers on Arthur and Gwen's bed, I couldn't stop grinning. To my chagrin, I didn't even notice Arthur was in the room until he told me to stop humming like an idiot.

"What's got you so happy, Merlin? Just a few hours ago you looked about ready to faint."

I finished with the bed and spun around to face him. "I, Sire, had a little dose of much needed fun."

He raised his eyebrows. "What were you doing?"

"Vincent and I had some bonding time," I replied.

Rolling his eyes, he said, "Really, Merlin, no need for sarcasm. What were you really doing?"

"No seriously, we talked for awhile, he let off his 'rich kid' façade, and now we're friends!" I chuckled.

He raised his brows even higher. "Um, Merlin, are you alright? Just this morning I had to listen to you rant about how 'intolerable' and 'utterly prattish' this kid was. And now you're practically dancing around the castle because you've become friends?"

I nodded.

He sighed. "Sometimes I worry about you, Merlin. Nevertheless, I'm glad you're having fun."

 _That was the kindest thing he's said to me for months!_

"Now please, go polish my armor. I need it clean for training tomorrow morning."

I skipped out the door, not letting the chores affect my mood. There was only one thing left that could make me happier than this.

Music.

I cleaned that armor faster than I think I ever have. Setting it aside to bring up later, I walked over to my fiddle.

It sat in its case in the corner of the room, just like always. I walked over and picked it up, renewing the healing spell I had previously put on as I grunted in agony.

 _I don't know what's wrong with me. Why do I feel so much pain? It's not the violin. It couldn't be._ I pushed the thought aside. I wasn't about to believe that the instrument I held so close to my heart was sucking the very life force out of me!

As I sorted through my thoughts I started a little fiddle tune, playing it over and over again, speeding it up, faster and faster, pushing myself to the limit until I couldn't go any longer; at which point I set the fiddle back in its case and collapsed on my bed in a deep slumber.

.

The next morning my back hurt like I'd slept on rocks all night- which, considering how poor Gaius and I were, was probably close to accurate. I sat up in my hard wooden bed, covered only by multiple layers of cloth.

But there was something else about the pain. It seemed almost… alive. Working. Magical.

It increased dramatically as I staggered over to change my clothes over by where the violin sat.

 _'_ _By where the violin sat.'_

 _Merlin! Shut up! Are you kidding me? That violin has nothing do with it. Maybe its last owner was an evil sorcerer or something and his presence is just lingering and freaking you out. Maybe I have some rare sickness. Maybe Gwaine is playing some cruel prank on me and slipping potions into my food. Maybe it's… it's…_

 _It's not the violin._

 _It's not the violin._

 _It's not. It can't be._

 _Period. Conversation over._

I walked through the corridors and ran into Arthur.

"Merlin, have you thought any more about the music for the ball?"

 _Oh yeah. The ball._ "No Sire, I forgot."

"Well I need you to start working on that. King Lot is a bit of a music fanatic, believe it or not, so I want to prepare your very best."

I nodded. _King Lot._ I'd forgotten he was going to be there. "Don't worry Arthur; I'm going to knock your stinky socks right off your feet," I said unenthusiastically.

He looked at me pointedly. "They only stink because my _lazy servant_ is always 'forgetting' to wash them!"

I put my hands up in surrender. "In my defense, they'd still stink if your _lazy servant_ washed them every day."

"Whatever, Merlin. Oh, I have a council meeting to attend this afternoon, and I expect you to join me."

I groaned inside. "Yeah. Sure."

Arthur put his hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, Merlin. You're a true friend." And then he walked away.

I finished my morning chores relatively fast, briefly watched Arthur and the Knights train, and then went down to my room to figure out what music to play for "Camelot's Grand Ball."

Once again, I reached forward to touch the wooden surface and grunted against the pain it took to touch the instrument. I drew my hand back quickly and started a debate with myself.

 _Merlin, you're being ridiculous. Who would put a curse on a_ violin _, of all things?_

 _Well what if someone was trying to hurt me?_

 _No one knows who you really are besides Gaius, Vincent, and the Druids. You trust Gaius with your life, Vincent didn't even know you until a few days after you_ got _the violin, and the Druids are depending on you to give them their happily ever after. There's nobody who could have known, Merlin. You probably just have the flu or something. Either that or you're imagining it._

 _I'm not imagining it. Every time I touch this thing… it's like there's something drawing my strength away._

 _No. Don't even go there. This is a violin. This is your dream. This is a part of your childhood, for goodness sakes! You can't think that something like this could possibly bring you harm. This instrument… This instrument makes you happy. It makes you feel whole again. It makes you feel like the real Merlin, correct? And_ this _talent of yours, Mer, will NOT get you burned at the stake. Doesn't it feel good being able to show your true self without risking your life? Music is as much a part of you as your magic. You can't give it up, Emrys. You can't lose this, or you'll never be the same again. Please, don't believe that something that gives you this much joy, the last thing that connects you with your father, is bringing you pain._

I sat on my bed, putting my head in my hands and sighing wearily. What to do, what to do…

Just as I was about to get up and go muck out the stables, Vince popped his head through the door.

"Uh… is it okay if I come in?"

I smiled. My protégé. "Yeah, sure. Make yourself comfortable."

He came over and sat next to me.

"Um, well… I was just going to come and say sorry about yesterday."

I was confused. "Why?"

He shifted nervously. "I don't know, it's just… I get the feeling I was being a bit obnoxious, you know? I'm sorry. I was hyper and annoying and a bit too loud and excited… I guess I'm just having a bit of an emotional overload. I'm still finding who I really am again. I haven't been myself, the self who wants to be happy and kind to other people, since my mom died."

I frowned. "How long ago was that?"

Vincent stared at his hands in his lap. "Four years ago. Anyways, I suppose I was just so fed up with being so rude and snobbish that when I met you and knew that I could act like myself again, all the feelings I had been holding back…" a smile tugged at his lips. "They just came spilling out, like _all over the place_ , making a gigantic mess." We laughed together, and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder.

"You know, Vincent, I did the very same thing with Will years ago. He learned about my abilities, accepted me for who I was, and let me vent and giggle and jump and turn random leaves into butterflies to my hearts content. Yesterday, I was so excited too I didn't even notice how you were acting. It's just, I'm an adult, so my excitement… it comes out a bit differently."

He nodded. "Well thanks for the talk, and clearing my conscious a bit. I'd better be back to my dad for lunch, and you look like you were headed somewhere when I came in. I'll see you tomorrow morning for lessons. Oh, and by the way, my dad is just fine with me taking an hour of lessons."

"That's great, Vince. I can't wait."

He smiled at me, and with a little wave he was out the door.

 **.**

 **So, how'd I do? Reviews are appreciated! Tell me how I can improve or if there's anything you want me to change/do in the future.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry I'm late. NaNoWriMo has pretty much filled up my writing schedule. ;) Sorry I haven't replied to reviews, I've been a bit busy, but still- thank you all who reviewed! You are so appreciated!**

 **Assassin of Syria: Thanks for the kind words! The villain will appear in the next few chapters... what with the story being in first person POV and with the plot in general it just didn't work for me to put him in sooner.**

 **Chapter 7**

"Lunch is here," I said, using my hip to open the door to Arthur's chambers while balancing two plates of chicken and veggies in my arms.

Gwen smiled at me. "Thank you, Merlin."

"Delicious," Arthur stated through a mouthful of chicken.

I turned to leave but Arthur's voice stopped me. "Hey Merlin, I thought you might like to know that I invited Lord Randolf to the ball."

I ran the name over in my head a few times before I recognized it. "Ah! Randolf, the giver of the violin."

He nodded. "He'll be coming to Camelot a tomorrow, so you'll get plenty of time to express your gratitude once again."

I grinned at him. "Wait- do you have a day for the ball?"

"Yes. It's in three days."

My jaw dropped. "Three days? Do you have _any_ idea how long preparations will take? I've barely _started_ working on the music, and that's just the beginning! There's cleaning, decorations, food, not to mention I need to wash all of your finest clothes before then…"

Arthur nodded. "I'm completely aware that this will require hard work. But you know what? Hard work never killed anyone."

Gwen took my hand. "And you're not doing all this alone, Merlin. We'll all do our fair share, right Arthur?"

He grunted uncomfortably. "Uh, sure, yes."

"Okay," I told them. "I guess the next few days are just going to be extra busy then."

.

I sat on my bed in front of my instrument once again, pondering whether or not to touch it.

 _I can teach Vince without it,_ I decided, not choosing to risk it. _I'll need to save up my strength for when I play for the ball._

 _Unless…_

I stood and ran out the door, coming back a moment later with my book of spells.

 _Okay, Merlin, so we've agreed that this fiddle of yours has something wrong with it, right? So all we have to do is get rid of the curse!_

I figured it would be pretty easy; after all, I was Emrys! Flipping through the book, I found the curse.

"Hm… reversal… ah! Here it is." I tried the spell and a wave of nausea overcame me. When I opened my eyes once more, I could still feel the curse on the violin.

I shook my head. _What went wrong?_

I looked at the page a bit further. I found what I was looking for in the fine print towards the bottom of the page.

 _"_ _As a safeguard, the victim of this curse is unable to enact the reversal spell. Any attempt to do so may result in pain."_

I sighed. _Go figure. I guess I'll just have to push through._

Walking out the door, I sat at the table and started to write down Vincent's lesson plan for the next day, not bothering to try and use the violin at all.

.

That night I couldn't sleep until about midnight when I moved the violin out into Gaius's chambers. The curse only affected me, so he wasn't in any danger.

The next morning I started making a list of songs to do at the ball. Arthur had only wanted five or six; he had a troubadour coming to play for the latter half of the night.

Vincent came in a few minutes early as I was working on my list.

"Hello, Merlin," he said with a grin on his face, setting down his violin case.

"Hello Vince." I gave him a hug. "What do you want to start with- violin? Or, you know, _it_?"

Vincent gave me a knowing look. "I think we'll start with violin first."

"Great. Now, I've got a little problem with my violin right now, so if I need to show you anything I'll have to use yours."

Vince frowned. "Nothing bad, right?"

I shrugged. "Nothing to worry about."

I quizzed him on violin parts, on which he answered fairly well. He recited the musical alphabet perfectly, and his posture while holding the instrument was so good I decided I may only teach kids who're being trained to be a knight in the future.

"You're doing fantastic! Now we're going to set the violin down for awhile and focus on the bow. Now first you have to tighten the bow hairs; you do that by twisting this little piece here… great. Any guesses on how to hold it?"

He shook his head. "Not a clue."

I showed him how to correctly position his fingers, which proved pretty amusing since he ended up dropping it three times.

"Rats, Merlin! This thing hates me!" he said as he crouched down to pick it up the third time.

I chuckled. "You're not the only one, Vince. Don't worry; you'll get it."

He sighed wearily. "By then I'll be old and gray with no living teacher left to instruct me."

I shrugged. "Good thing I'm immortal."

Vince stared. "Seriously?"

"As long as no one kills me, yes. And there's a pretty good chance that you may be too, considering how similar you and I are."

He let out a low whistle. "Wow. I never thought of that being a possibility."

"Well don't get your hopes up, you might not be," I said.

"Oh I'm not! Being immortal doesn't sound too pleasant, no offence."

I laughed. "None taken. I'm glad you have the wisdom to realize that an immortal life is a lonely one… there are men who would kill to gain that curse."

He snorted. "Poor them."

Picking up the bow once more, he managed to hold it steady.

"There you go! I told you you'd get it."

"I wouldn't say I've got it quite yet. It still feels awkward."

"And it will for another month or so. It's been half an hour- do you want to move on to the next subject?"

His eyes lit up. "Absolutely."

He put away the bow and I led him to my room- less likely to get caught.

"And so begins Magic Lesson 1. Are you prepared for the challenge, Sir Vincent?"

 **Hope you guys liked it! Sorry it was a bit short. :(**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys!**

 **So I know you all probably want to put me in the stocks right now, *dodges cabbage* but last week was** ** _Thanksgiving,_** **so please excuse me for missing an update. And a half. *dodges another cabbage***

 **Just so you know, though, I'll probably (definitely) be missing a few more updates coming up here, what with Christmas and New Years and all-around Holiday Busyness, so I'm just going to apologize ahead of time.**

 **Oh, and thank you all for the marvelous reviews! I know that I didn't get time to reply to each and every one individually, but don't think you're any less appreciated! A big hug to all who took that extra second to type an encouraging (and sometimes sarcastic, Miss You Know Who You Are ;)) message.**

 **Hope you like it!**

 **Me: I own Merlin!**

 **Merlin: *mutters spell***

 **Me: And now it's gone. I'm nobody again. *cries***

 **.**

 **Chapter 8**

 _"_ _And so beings Magic Lesson 1. Are you prepared for the challenge, Sir Vincent?"_

Vincent nodded solemnly.

I grinned. "Good. This lesson will mainly be about figuring out what you're already capable of."

I muttered a few spells under my breath, and suddenly the door was shut and bolted and the room was completely soundproof. Vince looked awed; like he'd never get tired of seeing magic used.

 _I can't wait to see the look on his face when he discovers he can do the same stuff as I can._

"Okay, first things first. Do you know any spells?"

He shook his head. "None at all."

"Okay then. I guess we'll have to start from scratch. Can you light a candle?"

He thought for a second. "I think so, if I concentrate really hard. Truthfully though, I work best with water."

I nodded approvingly. "Most magic users have one element that tends to be their forte. Mine is air, and I know a… um… _friend_ , that is exceptional with fire.

"So since water is your specialty, that's the one we'll work on last." Vince looked a bit disappointed. "Just until we can help the other three elements catch up," I told him.

He nodded. "Okay. So you want to know what I'm capable of. Small fires, as far as that element goes. I can manipulate wind just a little, you know, to cool myself down. And earth... yeah, I can make a plant grow an inch if I try _really_ hard." He sounded like he was kind of beating himself up. Stating the extent of your abilities in front of a master isn't easy. "I can do more under pressure, you know, as you saw when I kind of… _blasted_ that guy across the room."

Giving him a reassuring smile, I said, "Great job! You're doing pretty well for someone who's had no lessons whatsoever." I frowned. "Though it should be taken into consideration that you and I are the only people who can do it at all."

He shook his head. "I still just can't stop thinking about how amazing that is. I never thought that I'd ever be special or unique at all, you know? Like, if someone took away my title and left me alone on the street I'd be nothing. But… now I'm one of the only two people in the whole world who is able to do this kind of thing." He stared off into nothingness, eyes watering.

I gave him his space, knowing that he'd been through a lot emotionally recently.

Suddenly he spoke. "Merlin?"

"Hmm?"

He grinned at me, a single tear making its way down his cheek. "You have no idea how lucky I am to have found you."

I put my hands on his shoulders. "No, Vince. I do know, because I feel the same exact way about having found you. And for the record, it's not luck."

"Then what is it?"

"It's _destiny_ , Vincent." My face lit up as I got an idea. "How much time do we have left?"

He thought for a moment. "Um, I think it's about twenty minutes. Why?"

"I want you to meet someone." I took his hand and dragged him out of the room, feeling like I was eight again and pulling my mother outside to see my newest muddy creation.

We went down a few stairs and I put my finger to my lips, motioning for him to stay silent. We looked down on the two guards, who were playing dice games on duty as usual. With one diminutive flick of my wrist, the dice flew off of the table and across the room. I looked over at Vince, who was trying to keep in a chuckle. I remembered when I was a fourteen year old boy. This had to be so much fun for him, sneaking around underneath the castle.

When the guards were thoroughly distracted, we sneaked around the bend and grabbed a torch. Soon we were out of hearing range.

"Now," I told him. "Have you ever heard the rumor? You know, about below the castle?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Everybody's heard it. They say there's some sort of dragon that survived the Purge down here…" His eyes widened. "Merlin?"

I just smiled and led him into the cave.

"I have someone who'd like to meet you," I called into the darkness.

Kilgharrah swooped down, landing on the giant rock in the middle of the cavern. He smiled, showing off his gigantic teeth.

"I know. So this is the Second."

Vince was just staring, open mouthed. "Y-you…. You're a dragon!"

He chuckled. "I know, Emrick. I've waited a long time to meet you."

Vince looked confused. "Emrick? My name is Vincent. Vincent of Eribush."

"Emrick is your Druid name, as Merlin is called Emrys."

He looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded at him. "Trust me; it'll take a while to get used to."

The dragon continued. "You're destiny goes side-by-side with Merlin's."

"Which is…?"

"To protect the Once and Future King so he can someday reunite the land of Albion."

"Right…"

"Wait a second," I cut in. "How come you've never told me about Vincent before? Clearly you knew that our futures were somehow intertwined…"

The dragon sighed. "It wasn't yet time. It was the same as when Arthur was not ready to be king. If I had told you there was another with powers such as yours, I have no doubt that you would have run off to go and find him, leaving the young Pendragon to fend for himself!"

I was about to retort that I would never have even _considered_ doing such a thing when I realized it.

Kilgharrah was right. I would have taken a few weeks off of work and left Camelot. I would have searched for the other warlock. I almost certainly would not have found him, and perhaps I would have even come back to find Camelot in a complete wreck and the knights dying off one by one without falling tree branches to save them from bandits.

Arthur could have died without me.

Vincent interrupted my thinking. "Um, so, what exactly is my destiny? I mean, you've told me Merlin's…"

"To stand by Emrys in the battle and bring him out of the darkness when all seems lost. To be a friend in his lonely life and to comfort him in centuries to come."

Vince's eyes widened. "Centuries? So, I really am immortal?"

Kilgharrah nodded gravely. "Yes, young one. But all that means is that you will live until it is your time to die, just like other people. Your time in this world will just be longer. No man, however powerful, can live forever."

Solemnly, he nodded back. "I understand."

I just listened with conflicting emotions. _I won't be alone. I'll have a friend. I friend who won't die; a friend who won't leave. But he'll be cursed too. ...maybe it'd be better if I_ was _alone._

"Vince, we've got to go now. Your father will be in the physician's chambers any minute now to pick you up. " I grabbed his hand and went to leave with him.

"Wait," called Kilgharrah. "There's one last thing I must tell you."

"What?"

"Trust no one. No one other then the King and Queen, your guardian, and Emrick. Sometimes, your friends aren't always who they seem."

I nodded, knowing better than to question him further.

And with that, my Warlock Apprentice and I left the dragon's cave.

 **I know, I know… it's short. It's short and late and I'm a jerk. XD Forgive me, if you please. You know, that darn Writer's block… it hit me like the flu.**

 **But no excuses.**

 **I'll try to get another update up in a few days... (key word: TRY)**

 **Until then, my dear followers. Don't forget to review!**

 **Maryn**


	9. Chapter 9

**I am SO SO SO SO SO SORRY about not updating! The holidays had me super busy, people! I'm sure most of you will be able to** **sympathize** **... please?**

 ***hides behind Merlin* Merlin, I'm too scared. Can you do the disclaimer?**

 **Merlin: N** **id fi yn berchen ar y cudyll bach.**

 **(I think that's Welsh for "I do not own Merlin". I'm not sure.)**

 **Anyways, here it is! Sorry it was so short. :/**

 **Chapter 9**

We made it back to my chambers just five minutes before Lord Weston pushed open the door to retrieve Vincent.

He nodded in my direction."Mervin."

I nearly rolled my eyes. "Hello, Milord," I said, but his focus was already on Vincent.

"How was the lesson, my boy? Is this peasant treating you fairly?"

Vincent grinned. "Absolu-" He stopped himself before his dad noticed his atypical happiness and straightened his face. "I mean, yes Father. He is treating me as is appropriate."

Weston looked at him approvingly. "That is very good. I trust you're enjoying your lessons?"

"I understand that it is beneficial to my overall education, so yes, I suppose."

I smiled inside. _Vince is a good actor._

"Come along, Vincent. We must get back in time for your first training session with the knights of Camelot."

Vincent stood respectfully to the side as Weston walked out the door. He gave me a little wave and a smile when he was sure his dad wasn't looking before strolling out after him.

I waved back, even though I knew he couldn't see me.

.

Exactly fifteen minutes later I was helping Arthur into his armor for training with his rather… er… _disheveled_ gang of knights.

Percival was 100% fine, I am proud to tell you.

Leon had a few dislocated knuckles from slugging a rather unfavorable individual the day before, Gwaine had a relatively minor hangover and a black eye, and Elyan… well I suppose he didn't count because he was lying at home with a cold.

Not the prettiest group, but capable enough to work with the young potential squires.

They each took a kid and started to spar. I saw who Arthur had paired up with.

Vincent.

I resolved to sit and watch carefully, hoping that their personalities didn't clash.

Grinning, I watched as they slowly grew friendlier. Vincent even managed to catch Arthur by surprise and hit him on the shoulder with the flat of his blade once, and I chuckled at the look on Arthur's face.

From that moment on, Arthur was in fighting mode. Their sparring grew to be more intense than any other on that field, yet they were both comfortable with it, talking throughout and laughing when the other managed to make a hit.

When they both dragged themselves off the training field, they were smiling at each other like old friends. Arthur wasn't drained at all from the exercise, but through Vincent's thick black hair I could see a sheen of sweat.

Arthur pointed him to where the partner-less boys were practicing a routine of fighting stances, and Vince ran over to join them.

"That kid… he's really good with a sword," Arthur told me, grabbing a quick drink of water from his canteen on the table. "I understand now how you'd become friends so quickly. But to be honest, good luck teaching him music. Not many people seem to be able to master both an instrument and a weapon."

I nodded. "I'm not giving up, though. Who knows? Maybe he'll be in the minority. For what it's worth, his training in swordsmanship has already given him a flawless stance."

The king nodded. We stood silent for a moment, chuckling slightly when we heard Gwaine grumble about how the sun was too bright and how he should have brought some beverages.

A minute later Arthur was handing me his half-empty canteen and heading across the field to find another boy to spar with. He chose a brown haired lad who dragged his feet wherever he went.

I sighed. _I'll bet he wishes he was still sparring with Vincent._

Half an hour later, I heard a voice shout from behind me.

"Merlin! Wait, it's Merlin, right?"

I turned around to see the very person who had given me my violin walking towards me.

"Lord Randolf! It's a pleasure to see you again, Sire," I said, bowing my head slightly in respect.

"And you also, my boy!" He smiled at me. "Tell me, how are you enjoying the violin?"

"Um, I love it, Milord. I'm going to be playing at the ball."

He was still smiling, but something about the look in his eyes didn't quite match the expression. "Yes, yes. So I heard. Let me just say that I truly cannot wait to see you pick it up again."

I nodded. "It will be a wonderful night." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Arthur drawing near.

"Ah, Lord Randolf. Pleasure to see you."

Randolf bowed to Arthur. "Your Majesty! It's a pleasure to be here. I was just talking to Merlin."

"I see. Has he bored you yet?"

Randolf looked at me strangely. "No, Sire, quite the opposite. I find him rather… _intriguing_."

Arthur tried to cover up his look of disgust. "Alright then…"

There was an awkward silence before the nobleman bowed once more. "I apologize, Your Majesty. I must get back to my wife in the castle."

Arthur nodded. "I understand. I bid you good day."

"And you also, Sire."

And with that, Lord Randolf walked away.

As I watched as everyone else trained, I couldn't stop thinking about the look in Lord Randolf's eyes. Almost… a mysterious, harsh, _satisfaction_.

Almost like he knew something that we didn't.

.

 **mwahahaha. I am evil. Or maybe not. What are you guys' thoughts on Vincent and Arthur's friendship? How about Lord Randolf?**

 **Merry late Christmas, and Happy New Years all!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Heh heh... hi. I don't suppose you all remember me, you know, after all the long weeks I left you alone...**

 **About that... I'm truly sorry. I do have an** **explanation** **though. It was Writer's Block. All his fault. I tried to stop him, but he's a ruthless opponent. Now he'd like to apologize.**

 **WB: Maryn Meier doesn't own Merlin**

 **Me: *gasps* You traitor!**

 **Anyhoo, here's my super-short, super-late chapter.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 10**

That night I forced myself to play on my accursed violin, if only long enough to run through each of the songs I would play for the ball. There were five in total, and with each one I seemed to have to layer myself in yet another numbing spell. I barely got to finish the fifth when my vision started blurring. I laid the instrument in its case and collapsed on my bed, gasping for air.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, only to yelp in pain. Looking down at my hands, I saw boils where my palms and fingers had been in contact with the wood.

"Oh great," I wheezed. _I'll just have to push through for the ball_.

There was a knock on the door and Gaius came in, very shocked to find me dripping with sweat and panting.

"Merlin, what in heaven's name is wrong with you!"

"Nothing…"

He gave me the eyebrow. "You and I both know that's not true. Give me your hands."

I timidly held my hands out to him, and he gasped.

"How did you…. What did you do?!"

I drew my hands back and put them under my arms defensively. "I didn't do anything!"

...and there was the eyebrow again. "Well you must have done something, Merlin! Boils like this don't just appear out of thin air."

"They do if you've been cursed," I mumbled.

"Cursed! Saints above, my boy, I leave you alone for a little while…" he shook his head wearily.

"It's the violin," I told him, staring out the window blankly.

"The violin? Are you certain?"

"Do I look certain?" I pointed out not disrespectfully, feeling felt a bead of sweat roll down my face and shaking a bit from a sudden chill like a fever.

Gaius looked sad. "Do you have any idea who cast it?"

"None whatsoever." I went through the list of people who knew my identity once again in my mind. _Gaius, Vincent, Kilgharrah, the Druids…_

 _Wait, the Druids?_

I thought about if harder. _Druids..._ I shook my head. _But Emrys equals Albion, right? And the Druids are all for Albion!_

Gaius interrupted my thoughts. "What is it?"

I shook my head numbly. "Nothing, just a theory."

"Well do tell; I'm not busy."

"Well…" I hesitated, still unsure on whether this idea of mine held any real potential. "Well, I was just wondering, would there be any reason for a Druid to have anything against me reuniting Albion?"

Gaius was taken aback. "No, not normally… unless they truly hated magic. But that would never happen- for one of them to do so would be for them to despise their own essence!"

I nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

An idea sparked in my mind. "Is there any way for them to, you know, rid themselves of their powers?"

My mentor looked puzzled. "To some extent I suppose… no Druid could ever purge themselves completely of it, though. There would be remnants of magic, little pieces that hung on."

I jumped. "Enough to enact a curse?"

He looked at me with wide eyes. "Possibly."

I smiled, before remembering that it still was just a guess. "We have no way to prove it, though. I'll just need to play at the ball as I am now, curse and all."

"Are you certain there isn't another way around?"

I considered asking him if he'd be willing to use magic to break the curse for me since I couldn't do it myself, but decided otherwise. I knew he hated it.

"Yes," I replied slowly. Gaius lent me a hand to stand up, and I leaned against the wall. "One thing's for sure, though- I can't wait until all this is over."

.

I barely slept a wink that night, and what sleep I did manage to attain was riddled with nightmares. Whether asleep or not, though, I was in pain. Either I felt feverish or nauseous, or I throbbed, stung, or burned. Sometimes it reduced to an itch, but even the itch was nearly unbearable. I had to wake Gaius halfway through the night and ask him to move the violin out of my bedroom, but even then the pain lingered a bit in my dreams.

So I obviously wasn't the happiest person in the universe when a certain Pendragon whacked me good and hard over the head to wake me up the next morning.

"Merlin, you idiot! Today's the day for the ball!"

'Hrm?" I grunted sleepily.

"The ball, Merlin! The ball is tonight, and I'd wanted you awake a half hour ago!"

 _Oh. The ball!_ I sprang to my feet fully awake when the reality of it hit me. The ball. Tonight. And I'd have to play on that cursed violin of mine in front of a whole ballroom full of people.

Lucky me.

.

 **Don't forget to review! Though I suppose I'd deserve it if you didn't after how long I left... :( Sorry again. And hey, if any of you guys have any thoughts on what should happen these next few chapters, go ahead and tell me- in fact, I'd really appreciate it! I already have the main plot worked out... at least for a while here, but I'm still open to ideas. :) Love you guys, and thanks so much for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

***sheepish grin* Heh heh... oops. I know you all hate me right now. I'm sorry for being so late.**

 **Anyhoo, there's some upcoming excitement as we approach this story's climax... hopefully that will make up for my failure to update. :( Next chapter should be up sooner. Hopefully. I'll try really hard.**

 **(Hey, just a shout out to any PJO fans out there. I kind of based Vince off of Percy on accident. Black hair, green eyes, loves working with water... XD It's okay, though. I love Percy!)**

 **I don't own Merlin, but I hope you enjoy anyways!**

 **Chapter 11**

From then it was all rushing around, throwing up last-minute décor in the ballroom, and finishing preparing the feast.

Arthur got a bit crabby, to say the least. Everything needed to be absolutely perfect- which it wasn't, or at least as much as he would have liked by lunchtime. He kept mumbling something along the lines of "King Lot is arriving at noon and the castle is a disaster and Merlin is being bizarrely idiotic today and why couldn't he have waited until tomorrow."

He was getting on my nerves.

At 11:45 we rallied in his chambers. After throwing on some impressively kingly attire, Arthur walked out and down the stairs to greet King Lot and company, who were a minute or so away from the castle. There was a bit of an awkward silence as we all stood together waiting, Arthur arm in arm with Gwen and me standing behind and to the side a little.

A bead of sweat tickled its way down Arthur's forehead, causing his nose to twitch. Gwen handed him a handkerchief.

"Arthur, it'll be fine," I whispered. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"He's the kind of man who'd send his whole army to Camelot and destroy us if he didn't like his dinner, Merlin. I don't even want to _think_ what the worst thing would be!" he grumbled.

"I sure hope you're exaggerating," I muttered.

By this time Lot was dismounting his horse and walking regally towards us. He was easily over six feet tall, with brown hair and icy blue eyes.

His very presence sent shivers down my spine.

Arthur gave a short welcoming speech as was customary, but Lot didn't seem to be too interested. He was only concerned with the alliance, and that would be discussed at the ball.

After that, the whole party from Essetir was shown to their rooms and Arthur and I went back to rushing around in preparation for that night's entertainment.

"Wait!" Arthur exclaimed suddenly as we were on our way to check with the cook. "Merlin, how could I have been so _stupid!_ I can't very well have a common peasant performing at my ball- and especially not in front of King Lot!"

I was taken aback. "Well it's too late for me not to play now, Arthur!"

He rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant. Come along now, and quick!"

He led me to his chambers and motioned to his closet. I didn't move, confused.

"Well?" he nudged. "Put something noble-looking on!"

I almost grinned as I realized what he meant. I quickly changed into a nice blue shirt and leather-trimmed vest. All of the sudden I was being pushed down on one knee and Arthur was touching his sword on my shoulders, mumbling something about "I hereby dub thee Lord of Camelot".

I really _did_ grin this time. "So, I'm really a nobleman now?"

He scowled. "Don't get too excited. I'm taking away your title as soon as the ball's over. I'll tell them you stole food from the kitchen or something horrid like that."

"Nevertheless, I'll enjoy it while I can."

"Merlin, don't just stand there dumbfounded- get to work!"

.

Finally it was seven o'clock in the evening and King Lot and company were filing into the banquet hall. I was permitted to feast with the nobles, since, well; I was one, at least for the time being. Lord Weston was sitting a few seats away, a sour expression on his face. I could see him glance at me curiously, almost as if he was silently wishing that he could give me a whipping for sitting at the same table as him- and two esteemed rulers.

I saw Vince standing in the back of the room, where he'd been allowed to stand and watch the adults. He gave me a wave and a thumbs-up, and I smiled back at him.

Lord Randolf was chatting away animatedly, his hands never still as he conversed with his friends. But all the time there was an aura about him… I don't know why or what it was, but it still made me uncomfortable. Like he was waiting for something to happen- and I had a feeling it wasn't good.

Dinner tasted delicious, but I figured Arthur wasn't able to enjoy it very well. Sitting on his huge chair in the front of the room, he still looked like a small animal that had been backed into a corner. Of course, I knew him well enough to see what was behind his kingly façade. To the casual observer he probably looked like the epitome of normality.

I finished my food before everyone else, being accustomed to eating fast. As the rest of the guests were all finishing up, I saw Arthur signal me. I gave him a single nod and rose from the table to go get my violin.

As I picked it up from the table it sat on, I felt a punch to my gut. My vision was marred by spots, and I started sweating.

 _It's just the curse. You can do this. You're Emrys. Show them what you're made of. Show them you're more than just a servant boy. Prove it to Arthur. He needs you to do well right now, Merlin. Don't give up. Prove it to Lot. Prove it to Weston. Make Randolf proud. Be a good example for Vincent. Now is your time to shine, Merlin! Don't lose it…_

"Now, I've invited the Lord Merlin from… er… the _isolated_ kingdom of Ealdor to come and play for us today. Lord Merlin," Arthur nodded my way. Lot had raised an eyebrow, having obviously never heard of Ealdor, but didn't do anything more.

And with that, I forced a smile and walked up onto the stage.

.

 **Read and Review! Though I really don't deserve it at this point.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm back! And not _terribly_ late, too! Hooray for me. *sarcastic***

 **Anyways, here's a fairly exciting chapter for all you wonderful people!**

 **Merlin: Yeah, super exciting. *also sarcastic* Though it doesn't feel too pleasant on my part...**

 **Me: It's called whump, Merlin, deal with it. I'll give you a hug when all's said and done. (If he survives, that is...)**

 **But that's for all you to find out, isn't it? So I'll shut up and let you read.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 12**

There was a spattering of applause as I walked up to the front of the room, but I hardly heard it. I was focusing too hard on _not_ throwing up.

I bowed once, and then brought the violin up to my chin. I had to fight off yet another wave of nausea and my hand burned against the wood.

Arthur was looking at me strangely. I shook my head silently and forced a small smile, as if sending a message: _There's something going on that you don't know about, but I'm still going to try for you._ He seemed to catch the drift, but he still looked worried. _Just do it,_ I thought as I brought the bow to the strings and started to play.

It was then that the dizziness hit. I tried to fight it off at first, but it was too strong. I couldn't have been finished with the second song when I felt myself falling, and falling fast.

The world seemed to spin and my stomach lurched as I tipped over, suddenly seeing the ceiling.

I heard the distant clash of the violin hitting the ground at my side and groaned.

In an instant I saw Gaius and Vincent's faces above me. They both looked extremely worried.

"Merlin, what's wrong?" Vince asked.

Gaius responded for me. "A curse, my boy. There was a curse on his violin."

"Well then how do we break it?" he questioned.

I tried to speak. After a few tries I managed to croak a bit through my sore throat. "C-can't break. Spell… victim can't break…"

All of the sudden Arthur was above me too. "Spell? Curse? Merlin, what in the blazes is going on here!" He looked concerned.

"G-Gaius?" I asked.

He gave me a questioning look and I nodded somewhat reluctantly.

"You just need to trust Merlin right now, sire. We need to get him somewhere else."

He nodded and turned to group of nobles who were looking confusedly as the scene in front of them. "There have been some complications. Continue on with your meal."

I felt Arthur pick me up and carry me to my chambers.

"I… I have an i-idea…" I managed once I was settled in my bed.

"Well?" Arthur asked.

I turned to Gaius again.

"Oh!" the older man said before turning rather indiscreetly to Arthur. "Sire, you should probably be getting back to your guests."

The King's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't want me in here," he stated matter-of-factly.

I rolled my eyes. _Way to be subtle, Gaius._

"Whatever you need to do you can do with me by your side. Merlin is my best friend." His voice cracked at the end.

 _Best friend?_ Part of me jumped for joy at hearing him say that, but then I realized how seriously sick I must look for him to be admitting such a thing.

"Gaius? Arthur… me… alone for a m-minute?"

"Of course, Merlin." He walked out with Vincent.

I threw on a temporary healing spell while Arthur was watching them walk out, if only so I could talk to him a little easier. I was surprised at how much the simple incantation sucked my strength away. I knew that the spell wouldn't last for long and when it ended I'd feel worse than ever, but it was worth it for this dreaded conversation to go at least a little more easily.

"Arthur… there's something you don't know about me."

He sat down on the side of the bed and looked into my eyes, understanding that this was a very serious conversation.

"I just want to warn you… when Vince comes back in, I'm going to have him do something that you're not going to like. Something that I've been able to do since long before I came to Camelot. But can I ask you one favor?"

He looked confused, but nodded.

"Punish me all you want, but don't touch Vince. Please. Don't let his father know about this either. You're a good man, Arthur. I believe you'll do the right thing."

"I promise, Merlin."

I could feel my healing spell start to slowly fade, and I nodded for Arthur to bring the others back in.

"Vince, I need you to do something for me."

He nodded eagerly. "Of course, anything to save you!"

I hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "You're going to need to do… _it_. In front of Arthur. I need you to heal me. Don't worry though, he's not going to touch you."

His lip quivered slightly and I knew that he was remembering the last time someone had seen him use magic. "Okay. I'll do it. But I've only had one lesson, Merlin. You know I'm not very good."

"I know you can do this, Vince. Now there's a loose board underneath my floor… there, you've f-found it." The spell was dissipating faster now. "T-take out the book… page fifty nine… fine p-print."

Arthur was staring open-mouthed at the magic book, probably suspecting what it was.

Vincent had much the same reaction when he saw the spell. "Merlin, this is advanced magic… I can't do this."

"Y-you're going to need to, Vince. P-please."

"I'll try…" he cleared his throat and glanced at Arthur. Arthur looked like he'd just seen a ghost, but he still gave Vincent a nod of approval. I'm pretty sure he had just decided to swallow his pride and wait until this was over to deal with.

Vincent read the spell over a few times, memorizing it. Then he put a hand on my head and closed his eyes, reciting shakily. " _Efencume… aetgadre, eala gastas craeft ige gestricap bis lic forod_."

He opened his eyes and groaned. "It didn't work."

"Try… 'gain…" I mumbled, fighting off unconsciousness.

"Wait a moment, what happens to him if we can't heal him?" Vincent asked, tears coming to his eyes.

Another voice piped up from the back of the room.

"Simple- he dies."

.

 **Sorry it's a bit short, but thanks for reading anyways! Free hugs to reviewers! XD**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey all! I'm only** ** _slightly_** **late this time. Getting better! XD Anyhoo, here it is! I hope you like it!**

 **.**

 **Chapter 13**

 _"_ _Simple- he dies."_

 _._

We all turned to the voice who had spoken.

There, strolling casually into the bedroom with an evil grin on his face, was Lord Randolf.

"Y-you…," I mumbled.

"Yes, me," he said. "I'm sorry for intruding on your little party over here, but I wanted to see Emrys in time to say goodbye." He sat on a stool next to my bedside and looked at my face, pretending to look regretful.

"Emrys…," Arthur said, turning to me. "You're-"

"Yes yes, he is the fabled Emrys. And right now, it looks like I've defeated him! The prophesied savior of Albion, brought to his knees by me. It truly is an honor." He chuckled humorlessly.

Arthur stood, hand at his sword, but I stopped him.

"Wait. I w-want to know _why_."

Randolf smiled. "Very well, I will tell you my story. After all, it's the least I can do, well, considering our current… situation." He smiled sardonically.

He looked off into the distance dramatically. "I was raised a Druid, believe it or not. A very unfortunate upbringing, honestly, but luckily I was saved from certain ruin by a knight. A Camelot Knight, actually. He took pity on my eight year old self and took me in; explaining to me the evils and horrors of magic and the toll it took on its users. He helped me purge myself as much as I could of the stuff and assisted me in making a decent life for myself.

"I devoted myself to cleansing the world of sorcery, just as one newly converted would work to tell of their religion. And I did well. Many a witch or a sorcerer was eliminated by my hands, and I'll proudly say that I don't regret any of it."

"You're a m-monster…," I growled.

He huffed. "I'm hardly the monster in this room. Now if you'd let me finish…

"Having spent years in a Druid camp, I obviously knew who Emrys was. But when I heard that he was finally here? Alive and well, thriving somewhere, hidden and waiting for the perfect moment to strike out into the peace that Uther and others like him at worked to create? …well, I wasn't about to let _that_ opportunity pass. I followed the little Druid magic I had retained and found you, Merlin. A little, scrawny, pathetic looking servant boy- messing with my prized violin, no less. As funny as the situation was, _you_ being Emrys I mean, I gathered my wits and devised a plan. With the last of the power I had left I placed the curse on the instrument, just as I placed it into its case for you.

"And now we are here. I admit, Warlock, that I was worried you'd find a way to escape my enchantment. But alas, I suppose Emrys isn't as strong as we all thought…"

I was breathing hard at this point, from anger as well as from the curse.

"Goodbye, Emrys, or Merlin, or whatever your wretched name is. It should only be a few more hours until the universe is finally rid of you, by the looks of it." He looked at me sympathetically. "No offence, dear friend, but you don't exactly look like your usual cheery self. Oh, and Merlin? If you'd like to say goodbye to anyone, now would be the time. Any regrets, last wishes, messages you'd like me to send? You don't have long, so speak now or forever hold your peace. Not like you'll have much of a choice, being dead and all. Unless you would like me to end you myself, right now. I must say, it'd be quite a bit less painful that way…,"

All of the sudden a voice rang out.

"STOP!"

It was Vincent. He was huffing and puffing, and tears were coming to his eyes.

"Merlin is _everything._ He's everything the Druids prophesied. He's everything Albion needs. He's everything you'd ever want in a friend. And he's everything you will _never_ be. He's good, he's pure, he's strong. He knows what's right, and he fights for it. He never once searched for attention, or glory, or praise, or any of it! All he wants is to keep people safe, and you're killing him?!" he wheezed. "You, Sir, are seriously _messed up._ "

Randolf guffawed. "And what are you going to do about it, boy? You know nothing of the real world. You've never been hurt before. You've never had your whole life turned upside down in a second. You've never hated yourself. Not like I have."

Vincent's back went rigid for a moment, and then he spoke. "Wanna bet?"

And then the floor started to shake.

.

 ***** ** _dun dun DUN_** *** So, what do you all think will happen?**

 **Erm... to be quite honest, I'm still deciding how I'm going to end this. But never fear! I'm not** ** _completely_** **clueless. I'm just entertaining multiple endings. So if you have an idea as to how you think it should end, don't be afraid to leave it in a review- you just might affect the story. :)**

 **Thanks for reading! Hugs to all you guys.**


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter is pretty short... but it's also the most intense one yet, so I hope that makes up for it.**

 **Chapter 14**

"V-Vincent…" I mumbled. "What…"

Vincent didn't hear me. His eyes were swirling pools of silver and gold, fixed firmly on Lord Randolf. His hands were had his sides, each one holding tendrils of magic- the same silver and gold.

"You didn't really expect to insult me and my friend like that and get away with it, did you?" Vince said through clenched teeth.

Randolf backed away, staring at the glowing orbs that Vincent held. "I…"

 _He's never seen magic this powerful before…_

 _And I'm not sure I have either._

"Merlin?" Arthur stammered. "He's not going to… _blow up_ or anything, is he?"

The sentence would have been comical if I knew the answer. Right then a bolt of pain shot through my side and my vision blurred. _I'm going… and going fast._

I mustered up my strength and spoke. "Vince… be careful!" My breathing grew heavy and my lungs burned.

"I know what I'm doing, Merlin, just hold on a little longer," he replied. I could see his body start to tremble under the weight of the magic he held. He spoke to Randolf again. "I may be only fourteen, but I've been through more fire than you'd imagine. You think that I don't know what it feels like? To hate yourself with such a passion that the only thing keeping you alive is the memory of what happiness used to feel like? I know nothing of the real world, huh? All my life I've been walking on thin ice, and I've gotten pretty close to falling through countless times. I've _killed_ before, and lived with the blood on my hands every day since." He pointed to me. "And then you take the one person who makes me feel like I'm _worth_ something!" he shouted, voice cracking. "You take Merlin and you make him sound _pathetic._ Useless. Like some deformity on the face of the earth. I'm sorry, but I can't let you ruin anyone else's life."

For a second I thought he'd hurl his energy spheres at Randolf, but at the last moment he turned to me. All of the sudden I could feel the curse being drawn from my body. Black snakes of dark magic swirled from me, tangling with the bright orbs of light that Vincent held.

I was free from the curse.

Randolf turned to run, but I stopped him with a quick spell.

Arthur stood silently, hand at his sword, taking it all in.

Vince gave me a slight smile, hands shaking as he fought to control all the magic he held.

All of the sudden I could hear him in my head. _Thank you. For everything. You were my friend. You saved me. You saved me from myself. I can rest in peace now._

 _What?_ I replied. _What are you talking about? And how can you speak telepathically if you're not a Druid?!_

He took a deep breath. _I… I'm not sure, but I'm guessing your dragon friend will know. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry, Merlin. This is for the best. Maybe someday you'll understand… Forgive me?_

 _What? I mean, of course I'll forgive you, but-_

 _Best friends for life?_

 _Of course, Vincent! What are you doing?_

 _And after?_

I choked back a sob at the sound of his voice. The sound of someone giving up. I gave him a nod. _And after. But please, Vincent, don't do this._

 _I have to. It's for the best- and you'd do the same if you were in my place. Goodbye, Merlin._

"Wait!" I shouted, rising to my feet.

But it was too late.

He lifted the orbs to his chest, and with one decisive push, forced the curse upon himself.

Giving a battle cry that made the windows shatter, he collapsed on the floor. A wave of energy followed, knocking Randolf to the ground, dead.

But Randolf didn't matter to me anymore.

All that mattered was Vincent.

 _What have you done?_

 _._

 **AGHHHH! What do you guys think? Should Vincent live or die?**

 **Reply to** **(guest): Thanks for the awesome review! Well, funny story actually... when I started this I just meant it to be a one chapter story with a bit of an open ending, but I forgot to push the "completed" button when I posted it. That resulted in reviewers saying things like "I can' t wait to see what happens next!"- which I didn't mind; I just didn't expect it. From there I just kind of wrote whatever I thought of, and a plot slowly started forming in my head. The only outline I've really followed was that that the violin was cursed, Merlin meets a young boy who has magic, and the boy eventually(probably) helps Merlin get rid of the curse. I really appreciate your interest!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's the final chapter! Sorry for not really warning you guys... And sorry I took a while, too. I'm a despicable human being. (Tangled reference)**

 **Here you go! Warning: ANGST**

 **Chapter 15**

Vincent lay shaking on the floor, burdened by the weight of my curse.

 _My curse._

 _It was supposed to be mine._

For a moment I just stood still, not sure of what to do.

But then it hit me.

 _Vincent is dying._

 _And it's all my fault._

I felt something wet running down my neck and realized there were tears streaming down my face. I didn't move to wipe them away. My vision was blurry, but I could still see Vincent's shivering figure.

I dropped to my knees next to my friend. "Why, Vince… why did you do this?" My voice cracked. "You and I were going to be best friends forever, remember?"

I heard Arthur's voice behind me. "What do you need me to do, Merlin?" I turned around to see his eyes watering slightly, looking at the young boy before us.

"C-can you take him out of h-here?" I said, pointing a trembling finger at Randolf's corpse.

He nodded solemnly, and I turned back to Vincent.

"Merlin…" Vince murmured.

I stifled a sob. "Yeah?"

He opened his eyes just enough to see my face. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me. Thanks for being my friend. I know I was pretty abominable in the beginning… sorry for that."

"I've already forgiven you," I replied, trying for a smile and failing.

"Tell my dad… tell him I died a hero, okay?"

My eyes widened. "No no, no, Vincent! Don't you die on me… please? We were going to be the two immortals. We weren't going to be alone anymore…" I collapsed on his body, crying into his shirt. "Don't leave me alone, Vince. You're like my other half…"

Vincent managed a weak smile. "No, Merlin. _He's_ your other half. Two sides of a coin?" He nodded faintly towards the door, where Arthur was watching with grief written all over his face. "I visited the dragon again, alone this time. He told me I'd have to make a hard decision soon… and he was right. But it's worth it. Your destiny is bigger than mine, Merlin. It wasn't a hard decision, between your life and mine."

I started to protest, but he continued.

"You're going to save a lot of people, friend. I wasn't going to sit back and let a silly little curse stop you from that- no, I couldn't have. Go be great, Merlin. I believed in you, don't forget that. I still do."

"Vincent…" I choked.

He took one last deep breath and said to me quietly, "I'll be waiting for you."

And then he closed his eyes for the last time.

"No… Vincent…"

I struggled to my feet and sat on my bed, drawing my knees to my chest. I couldn't even cry anymore.

Arthur walked over to Vincent. "He's gone," he said, drawing a deep breath.

"He was only fourteen." I said, staring off into space. "It's all my fault."

Arthur came over to me and, to my surprise, put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "No it's not. Vincent made the conscious decision to sacrifice himself. And honestly, from what I've heard this last hour, he made the right choice. You're destined for greatness."

I couldn't help but smile slightly. "You're really okay with this? Me having magic?" I asked, looking up at him.

He rolled his eyes. "No. Not at all, actually. But I'm going to have to deal with it anyways, won't I?"

I was awed. _Arthur accepts me…_

"…though we are going to have to have a _long_ talk later, I think."

I nodded. "Of course, Sire. Just… let's wait a few weeks? I need some time." I looked over at Vincent's body, fresh tears threatening to leak out.

Arthur drew in a deep breath. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thank you."

"Absolutely, Merlin."

I didn't sleep a wink that night.

.

The funeral was three days later.

The only attendees were Arthur, Lord Weston, Gaius, and me.

It was a quiet affair, held out in the open air in the town of Eribush, Vincent's home. He was buried right next to his mother.

I played a song on my now perfectly normal violin.

It was the last time I'd touch it for quite a while.

Lord Weston didn't cry, unlike me- I bawled the whole time. Even Arthur shed a tear or two, and Arthur and I had only known Vincent for about a week. But that raven-haired, green-eyed, fourteen year old boy's _father_ didn't show any emotions at all.

He didn't even provide a gravestone.

When the funeral was over we went back to Camelot. Life went on, but it always felt like something was missing.

Or rather, _someone_.

Lot had signed the treaty to ally the kingdoms, which relieved a lot of stress for Arthur.

Two weeks later Arthur and I had a discussion about my magic, one that involved lots of nerves, laughter, and even a few tears. I told him everything, and when I was done, he answered my unasked questions with a hug.

Yes, you read that right.

A hug.

But it wasn't over there- what Arthur said next was the last thing I wanted to hear.

He said that he couldn't break the law of Camelot, and he couldn't change it either… well, at least until the kingdom achieved a more peaceful state.

I asked if I was to be burned or hanged.

He told me to make him forget about it. My powers. The curse. All of it.

And I did.

So Arthur still doesn't know I'm a warlock- sort of, anyways. But now at least I know that if he did, we'd still be best friends.

Second-best friends, that is.

My best friend will always be Vincent.

Vincent of Eribush.

 _Emrick._

 **.**

 **AGHHHHH So I know I said that I'd let you guys pick whether Vince lived or died, but turns out I lied, because, you know, what author doesn't love killing off a wonderful character? Anyways, here it is: My Story. Hugs to all you awesome people who took the time to read and review!**


	16. AN!

Hey guys! NOT A CHAPTER. I REPEAT; NOT A CHAPTER. Anyways, I'm considering doing a reincarnation sequel- Arthur and... (DUN DUN DUN) VINCENT come back!:D Tell me if you think it's a stupid idea or if you have any other ideas/suggestions. :)

Also, feel free to check out my other stories on my profile. I write for the Percy Jackson fandom as well as Merlin, and I'm hoping to get some up for Star Wars and a few others...

Thanks again for being so supportive throughout this story!


	17. Farewell!

Sorry to bother all ya'lls (you've probably forgotten this story by now), but I just wanted to make something known to the universe.

I'm guessing that Cherished Melodies will _not_ have a sequel- at least in the next few years. My apologies to those who wanted one. My Fanfiction Focuses have since moved elsewhere- *cough Percy Jackson* *cough hopefully HP soon ;) ?*

Merlin is no longer my main fandom, and I'm sort of devoid of inspiration when it comes to it. It never hurts for a writer to leave a cliffhanger either- though I suppose leaving it open forever is _sort of_ a sin.

I beg your forgiveness.

I hope you guys have smiled a lot since I've seen you last. I may not know you, but I send my love!

Have a great week.

:)


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